S Magazine: Blog StarShowbiz Stars and Scoops

by Martin Nievera

I am disappointed and sad that an extremely high moment in my life has been taken to an all-time low. Also, it’s sad how the people making such a big fuss about all this has made us focus on finding defeat in victory.

I was very surprised about the controversy that my singing has caused. Until now, I’m in shock. I think we are wasting time on this when we have more important world-changing issues to address. All I did was to sing the anthem from the deepest part of my heart as best as I could. I see nothing wrong with that.

I had no intention to perform the song to please or impress anyone. I was honored to have been chosen to sing that song by Manny Pacquiao himself. No middle man offered me or manager or recording company. It was my honor to accept this responsibility. So I wanted to make it great—not just okay lang, but great.

In my mind and heart was a proud Filipino. I wanted to be the smallest thing in that event so I could make the anthem the biggest. The moment was never about me. These lawmakers should never have made it all about me because it should only be about the champion in each Filipino as represented by Manny Pacquiao!

Do I regret going there? Absolutely not! I would do it again if asked to. The thrill and the pride I felt singing our national anthem while flags were waving and people cheering and Manny smiling was worth every drop of blood, sweat and tears. It was the ultimate honor!

Mr. C (Ryan Cayabyab) didn’t warn me about singing my version of the anthem—he advised me. Mr. C felt very strongly against my changing any part of the anthem. He said I could end it high the way I did, but not change anything else because I would get criticized.

But after we both agreed that no matter how I sang it, I would be criticized anyway, he gave me his blessings to sing the anthem the way I planned to for as long as I sang it from the heart. That is exactly what I did. I did not arrange the song in a way that I would shine or benefit for my career. I even had them take out “The Concert King of the Philippines” from my name in the introduction.

I arranged my delivery of the song in a way that my Philippines would shine. Not for career or money, but for pure Filipino pride.

Mr. C is the most admired and respected man in the business. I am so embarrassed that he had to be put in the middle of this controversy. It has gotten so out of hand that even Mr. C himself had to explain in the Inquirer (in an article written on May 10, 2009) that I had his blessings and the consequences for my actions I face alone. The only thing that boggles my mind is this nagging question: If the NHI plans on using Mr. C against me, then how come Mr. C never even mentioned the NHI to me? All he or anyone had to say was, “You can’t change a thing because it’s against the law.” I think that would have made a huge difference in all of this.

Read more of Martin Nievera’s blog entry about the controversy surrounding him in the June 2009 issue of S Magazine.